Trail Updates

Trail Update 2018

The Cinque Terre National Park is a gorgeous bit of land and sea crafted by men and women over the centuries. It is Italy’s smallest but most densely populated national park, with about 4,000 residents in five villages: Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza and Monterosso.

Over the past thousand years, generations of men and women have “changed” the natural environment by creating terracing out of the steep slopes of the hills to obtain strips of arable land called “cian”, supported by about seven thousand kilometers of dry stonewalls (the length of the Great Wall of China). The entire territory is covered with hiking trails, once used only by farmers to reach their olive groves and vineyards.

Save Vernazza invites you to discover the hidden treasures of the Cinque Terre, by walking not only the popular coastal trail (for which you need to buy the Cinque Terre Card) but lesser-known trails used by generations of locals (beautiful trails with breathtaking views of the coast always OPEN and FREE). Please see the Save Vernazza alternative trail map for our suggestions for a great hiking experience.

Many people are interested in hiking the Coastal Trail that connects the five villages when they visit the Cinque Terre National Park:

Riomaggiore – Manarola “Via dell’amore”: CLOSED. Work to be completed in 2019?

Manarola – Corniglia : CLOSED. Work to be completed in 2019?

Corniglia -Vernazza: OPEN

Vernazza – Monterosso: OPEN

An important note: All of the other trails in the vast network throughout the Cinque Terre territory are OPEN and FREE. Some of the trails are quite difficult and long, but the trails that connect the towns with their Sanctuaries above are normally open, free, beautiful and uncrowded. A good option is to take the little green bus up to the Sanctuary (cost of ticket included with Cinque Terre card or a bus ticket costs €1,50 to buy at the Info Point in the train stations) and then walk down.